The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority originally charged a one-time fee to buy the transponder. It inherited the sponsorship upon merging with BankBoston, the founding financial institution of the local system along with the Massachusetts Turnpike. Until 2005, Fleet Bank sponsored the Fast Lane system. Along the Turnpike it was branded the Citizens Bank Fast Lane, whereas at the Tobin Bridge it was branded TD Bank Fast Lane. for the Tobin Bridge (formerly administered by the separate Massachusetts Port Authority). The system was sponsored by Citizens Bank for the Massachusetts Turnpike and tunnels, and by TD Bank, N.A. This has occurred along all tolls, officially phasing out Fast Lane in itself. In 2011, MassDOT announced that the Fast Lane branding would be dropped beginning in mid-2012 and rebranded to the typical E-ZPass and switch to the purple and white signage. The orange passes were eliminated when tolls were reinstated on that section of the Turnpike on October 15, 2013. This pass could be used from exits 1 to 6 without toll because these exits did not previously charge tolls. When the system was first introduced, AAA gave out to its Western Massachusetts members an orange Fast Lane pass. This system was scrapped and replaced by the current E-ZPass-compatible system in 1998 for the Ted Williams Tunnel and the Massachusetts Turnpike Boston extension and extended to the rest of the turnpike in 1999. The original electronic toll collection system in Massachusetts was called MassPass and was installed at the Ted Williams Tunnel. Toll booth at the junction of I-84 and the Mass Pike (exit 9). Towards the end of 2016 and into 2017, the entire toll road system in the Commonwealth was converted to open-road tolling, thus the system no longer has any booths. With the change, the toll collection system has ceased to have corporate sponsorship. The Fast Lane website is now branded as E-ZPass MA. In 2012 the Department of Transportation began the process of converting all existing Fast Lanes to E-ZPass lanes and also began to phase out the Fast Lane name. Fast Lane transponders were fully interoperable with member agencies of the E-ZPass Interagency Group, however Fast Lane transponders (or the "E-ZPass MA" replacement transponders exclusive to Massachusetts) afford users discounted tolls in some junctions that out-of-state users are not offered. It was introduced in 1998, and later folded into the E-ZPass branding in 2012. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.Fast Lane was the original branding for the electronic toll collection system used on toll roads in Massachusetts, including the Massachusetts Turnpike, Sumner Tunnel, Ted Williams Tunnel, and Tobin Bridge. If you’ve been wrongly charged for tolls, let us know, email: (c) 2022 Sunbeam Television. Now EZ Pass insiders tells us, because of our inquires a drive is on to fix the system, but they warn it will be complicated and expensive. Lorraine: “It’s frustrating because they’re leaving it up to me to fix a problem that they have.” That makes it the driver’s responsibility, which is not so E-Z. Mass DOT also refused to go on camera, and told us, “it encourages every customer to check their accounts on a regular basis to make sure all charges are accurate and true.” I can’t get it fixed.”ĮZ pass officials refuse to go on camera, but sources tell us they’re well aware it happens, and admit it’s “very inconvenient” and “frustrating.” His tolls also belong to an apportioned plate. Tom: “The tolls aren’t my responsibility. Tom from Needham gets charges for tolls in New Jersey, $77 so far. Her tolls belonged to an apportioned plate, which is a plate used by some businesses. Linda from Grafton got $270 worth of tolls from Maryland and New York. When a special plate gets an electronic toll, cameras snap a photo of it and then it gets looked up systemwide so the driver can be charged.īut we found the EZ pass shared files do not provide “plate type” information! So if commercial 1234 for instance goes through, passenger 1234 could get the bill. For example there could be Mass passenger 1234, but also commercial 1234, apportioned 1234, Cape and Island 1234, Red Sox, Purple Heart and more. That’s because Massachusetts, one of the 16 states connected in the EZ pass system, uses the same numbers on different plates. Here’s how, though the new signs for the electronic tolling system say “no transponder, no problem” there actually is a problem. Patrick Pisani, Car Owner: “I don’t understand how this could be happening.” We tracked down the owner Patrick Pisani of Bellingham. Here’s the photo of the car that went through the toll that day, the same numbers, but look: it’s a Purple Heart plate. Lorraine: “It’s not a lot of money but I’m not paying someone else’s toll.”
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